Civil court cannot determine the next king, says expert

Zulu royal family’s Game of Thrones playing out in the Pietermaritzburg High Court will not affect who will be heir to the throne, as it is determined by customary law.

This was an observation of Zulu culture expert Dr Maxwell Shamase from the University of Zululand following a two-day court battle between the royals this week.

Chiefs from various villages gathered outside the court, clad in their Zulu regalia to support King Misuzulu.

Others vowed that whatever the court decided, King Misuzulu would lead the nation as they believed that he was the rightful heir to the throne.

Shamase, who attended the court hearings, also believed that customary law would prevail in the end and the king would be crowned, according to customary beliefs.

In court a faction opposed de facto King Misuzulu’s ascendancy to the throne by challenging the last will of the late King Zwelithini, which resulted in the nomination of King Misuzulu for the position.

The late king’s first wife, Queen Sibongile, approached the court, seeking 50% of King Zwelithini’s estate, claiming that she had been married in community of property. The court dismissed her application.

In a separate matter, her two daughters, Princess Ntandoyenkosi and Princess Ntombizosuthu Zuluduma, approached the court about

the signature of the late king, claiming it had been forged. Therefore, it had to be set aside. Judgment was reserved in this matter.

“Customarily, the king is born, not appointed. The royal house knew ages ago that Misuzulu was born to be the king. This started when his late mother Queen Mantfombi married the king. Her lobolo was paid by the Zulu nation and chiefs from across various villages.

“Queen Mantfombi was from eswatini royalty, the daughter of King Sobhuza II.

“When the King married her, she became the great wife, who gave

birth to the heir. So all those processes cannot be overshadowed by the civil court, they are there for the purpose. Even the democratic government recognised the house of traditional leaders because of the significance of customary laws. Customary marriages are as legitimate as civil marriages,” said Shamase.

While King Misuzulu was preferred to be the next king of the Zulu nation through the reading of the will of his mother, Queen Manftombi, Shamase said this was done because the queen had other assets that had to be distributed among her children.

Queen Mantfombi was named a regent queen following the passing and reading of the last will of King Zwelithini in March. Shamase said even if the late king did not include the throne in his will, the royal family knew who was next.

He said there was no royal council, government or civil court that could determine who would be the next king.

Shamase said all the past Zulu kings had been named in terms of the customs which were known to the entire Zulu nation.

Shamase warned that should the government or the court rule who

would be king, the nation may be divided as many believed King Misuzulu was the legitimate one.

He said government delayed issuing a certificate in recognition of King Misuzulu’s status because of the court matter. This resulted in the provincial government freezing R66 million budgeted for the royal family. While the royal family and the nation may accept the king as the rightful heir, the government must also endorse his position before the royal family received the allocated funding.

Shamase said the government’s role in royal matters was introduced by the British colonists for political gain.